New Study Says Opioids May Be No Better for Pain than Tylenol

posted by Kat -
Mar 7, 2018

The negative news about some prescription painkillers is piling up.

A new study says opioids may be no better at killing pain than Tylenol. A government study published yesterday compares opioids like oxycodone and morphine to common painkillers when used by patients with arthritis and chronic back pain. The long-term study found that after a year of treatment, opioids weren't any better at improving pain related to daily functioning, such as the ability to sleep and work.

It found that opioids were actually somewhat inferior to common painkillers at controlling pain intensity, and had more side effects. Lead author Dr. Erin Krebs bluntly stated what the reaction to the results should be. “If they don't work better than less risky drugs, there's no reason to use opioids given "their really nasty side effects -- death and addiction."

A CDC study released yesterday, which examined data from 16 states, hospital emergency department visits for suspected opioid overdoses jumped 30 percent from July 2016 through September 2017. Some states saw increases of 70 or 80 percent or even more.